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Embattled Victorian speaker Ken Smith to retire

Alison Caldwell
Mon 13 Jan 2014, 6:40 PM AEDT

The Victorian Liberal Party is preparing itself for what is shaping as a very close election in November, with a number of key MPs announcing they won't contest the poll. The latest is the controversial speaker of the House, Ken Smith, who today announced he'd be retiring from politics at the next election. Labor is warning the Premier to sack Mr Smith as speaker now, or face more chaos in Parliament when it resumes next month.

Transcript

DAVID MARK: The Victorian Liberal Party is preparing for what's shaping as a very close state election in November, with a number of key MPs announcing they won't contest the poll.

The latest is the controversial speaker of the House, Ken Smith, who today announced he'd be retiring from politics at the next election.

The Premier, Denis Napthine, has paid tribute to Mr Smith for what he called his "outstanding service" to the people of Victoria over 25 years in politics.

Labor, however, is warning the Premier to sack Mr Smith as speaker now, or face more chaos in Parliament when it resumes next month.

Alison Caldwell reports.

ALISON CALDWELL: The Liberal MP for Bass in Victoria's south-east, Ken Smith, is best known around Australia for his performance as the speaker of the Lower House in the final sitting weeks of Parliament late last year.

ALISON CALDWELL: That week, balance of power Independent MP Geoff Shaw, and Labor, expressed a lack of confidence in Ken Smith as speaker and called on him to resign or be sacked. Instead of facing a confidence vote on the floor of Parliament, Ken Smith shut it down.

KEN SMITH (Archival): Order! Order! Order, I'm adjourning the House until the 26th of November.

(To press) Look, it's contrived. It's a very close numbers and the Opposition are working on the basis that if they get rid of me that they may even get to have a run for government. So, but that's, you know, number one: they're not going to get rid of me.

ALISON CALDWELL: Today, after 25 years in state politics, Ken Smith has announced he will retire at the next election in November. He wouldn't say if he would continue on as speaker in the meantime, a role he's held since 2010.

The Opposition's James Merlino has called on the Premier, Denis Napthine, to sack Ken Smith immediately.

JAMES MERLINO: We've had a dysfunctional parliament under the leadership of Ken Smith as speaker and Denis Napthine as Premier. Ken Smith's announced his retirement. Denis Napthine needs to also sack him as speaker of the assembly.

ALISON CALDWELL: In a statement, the Premier Denis Napthine thanked Ken Smith for what he described as his outstanding service to the people of Victoria, a local member first for South East Province and most recently for Bass.

The Health Minister, Upper House MP David Davis, has echoed those sentiments. He says he doesn't expect his colleagues to support a motion of no confidence in Ken Smith.

DAVID DAVIS: Well that's obviously a matter for the Lower House. As I understand it, he would continue on as speaker. He's performed very well as a member of parliament.

ALISON CALDWELL: But the question is: does Ken Smith's announcement provide a fresh start for the Napthine Government in Parliament in 2014?

Paul Strangio is a lecturer in politics at Monash University.

PAUL STRANGIO: Certainly not. They've been careful not to pressure Mr Smith publicly, but no doubt they're hoping that he now might go the next step and relinquish the post and provide them with the clean air as they enter a new parliamentary year.

ALISON CALDWELL: Meanwhile, two possible contenders for the premier's position in the years ahead have been given a boost with two more retirements.

Planning Minister Matthew Guy is keen to move to the Lower House from the Upper House.

Yesterday, the Energy Minister Nicholas Kotsiras announced he would be retiring at the next election, creating a vacancy in his Lower House seat of Bulleen.

Matthew Guy said he'd be delighted to move into the seat.

And the Minister for Community Services, Mary Wooldridge, has been thrown a possible lifeline after her seat of Doncaster was abolished in a redistribution late last year.

MP for Kew, Andrew McIntosh, has announced he will be retiring at the next election, leaving a possible opening for Mary Wooldridge.

But it's since been revealed that she'll have a fight on her hands there, with the former mayor of Stonnington Council in Melbourne's inner south-east, Tim Smith, announcing he will be nominating for pre-selection in the seat of Kew.

While Mary Wooldridge has the support of the Premier, Tim Smith has the support of former Liberal powerbroker Michael Kroger, and the chairman of the free market think tank the Institute of Public Affairs, Rod Kemp.